


Blood Ink

by you_stole_my_crush



Series: Yes. And then BAM! [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Everyone is Human, Angst and Feels, Attempted Kidnapping, Canon-Typical Violence, Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & Upgraded Connor | RK900 are Siblings, CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 Has a Different Name, Daniel Has Anger Issues, Elijah Kamski & Gavin Reed are Siblings, Elijah Kamski Being an Asshole, Extremely Dubious Consent, Fluff because Simon and Markus, Gavin Reed Backstory, Gavin's Biggest weakness is cats, Good Dog Sumo (Detroit: Become Human), Gun Violence, Hank Anderson Deserves Happiness, How Do I Tag, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Masochist Gavin Reed, North Has Anger Issues, Oblivious Simon, Other, Painfully Slow Updates, Past Child Abuse, Protective Elijah Kamski, Protective Markus (Detroit: Become Human), Protective Parent Hank Anderson, Quiet Gavin Reed (Shocking I Know), Ralph (Detroit: Become Human) Loves Flowers, Ralph is a Damaged Boy, Sickfic, Sub Gavin Reed, Swearing, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Top Connor, Top Upgraded Connor | RK900, Unresolved Sexual Tension, unintentional neglect, very much OOC
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-09-27 08:01:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20404360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/you_stole_my_crush/pseuds/you_stole_my_crush
Summary: RA9 is an underground bar and tattoo studio close to Detroit's port run by the Kamski brothers. Despite being mostly frequented by dangerous people, it is quite a peaceful place.The gangsters, corrupt policemen and assassins know they can go there to chill, get a drink and new tattoos without worries due to the place's 'no fights and no killing the other customers allowed within the block to avoid causing problem with the local police force' policy. But that doesn't really mean everyone follows the rules.Sometimes a newbie gets out of line. And sometimes someone ends up becoming fish food.Elijah does like his rules very much - he likes enforcing them.Gavin on the other hand doesn't really care. He just likes whiskey. On the rocks. Oh, and cats.Gavin really loves cats.





	1. Bullets & Drinks

**Author's Note:**

> Prepare your hearts.  
Or don't.
> 
> Just know I have no idea where this is going, but it's definitely not going to go the way you think (or maybe it will).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> RA9 is nothing if not a beacon to the wicked souls roaming the streets of Detroit.  
Sooner or later the Stern brothers were bound to find their way there.

** **

**^RA9^**

Richard dismissed his brother's look of disapproval with a smirk as he took a long drag of his cigar. He pocketed the golden lighter - gifted to him by none other than their other sibling, Mikail who was away on business - and holstered his gun.

He reached for the Cuban cigar with one hand while the other rested inside his pocket with his fingers still wrapped around his favorite lighter. If anyone said he missed his older brother he would deny it to the moment of his death, but he truly did miss the bastard.

"You know I hate when you have those things around me." Connor frowned for a second when Richard blew the smoke up to the ceiling. It was dark, but somehow the cloud of smoke still managed to glow white in the room.

Richard took another slow drag before letting out the smoke with a snort. He sounded less than amused by his brother's nagging, but after thirty years he was more than used to it. "And to think I even chose this specific brand because you said you enjoyed the scent. Why do you always have to be so ungrateful?"

It was Connor's turn to snort and he waved his gun in the air once before holstering it as well. He walked to the metal chair close to the exit and grabbed his suit without saying anything.

"Oh, come on." Richard made sure to let his annoyance seep into his tone. Still no answer. "Connor."

"Fine," the other said with a resigned sigh. He turned around to face his brother - only then he noticed how dark the room really was. He could barely see his brother's face from just a few steps of distance. This really had been a close call. "Fine, I don't _completely_ hate this one brand. That doesn't mean I'll support your unhealthy addiction to those cancer sticks, brother."

Connor wanted to punch the smug smile that crossed Richard's features but stuck to placing his suit over his shoulders instead. He pulled his cellphone out and went through the fourteen texts their cousin had sent while they were finishing their work, which made Connor's eyebrow twitch in mild annoyance. Yes, it was a known fact he was the most patient out of his brothers. But nothing could tick him off as fast as someone blasting his phone with texts or calls like that.

Connor could only assume Markus had something of extreme importance to talk to them about if he went as far as doing something so unlike him. What with the man being so attentive and efficient in everything he did, mistakes like that were not something that was expected from him.

"Markus says we're late for something," Connor mumbled while typing a reply to his cousin's last text - a very long text informing them of their lack of responsibility and questioning their whereabouts. "Do you even know what he's talking about?"

Connor looked up from his cellphone's screen to meet his brother's gaze. Richard had already moved closer and was also putting his suit on. Being mindful of his lit cigar as to make sure he wouldn't ruin his favorite suit - a long, handmade, white silk suit. "We have a meeting with our next client it seems."

The information seemed to light something on the other's brain and his eyes widened slightly. It only lasted for a moment. Soon the soft wrinkles on the other's forehead deepened and he snarled to himself. "I forgot. They want us to go to this lousy bar near the port."

Connor usually didn't mind having to step into dirty places when it was related to his and his brother's secret hobby. But he had to draw a line somewhere and that meant not consuming anything from said places. He enjoyed sweet beverages, good food, and good music while making deals. And that was why he was usually the one responsible for setting up a place for business meetings. But this specific client refused to meet with them out of the place called RA9.

"What kind of name is that anyway?" Connor complained - more to himself than to his brother. Both men had now stepped into the slightly more illuminated hallway. Dead bodies littered the floor all the way to the staircase on the other end of the hall. There were bullet holes and blood on the walls and they had to watch their step as to not step on a pool of blood as they made their way to the exit. "Remind me why we agreed to meet with this guy again."

"Because," Richard paused to take another drag of his cigar. He was almost halfway done with it. "Markus looked into it and deemed it safe enough. I thought I mentioned that apparently, it is a very well known spot for people with dangerous and illegal hobbies such as ourselves to hangout. A good place for networking, it seems." Richard didn't miss the way Connor looked at him through narrowed eyes.

"What?"

"Networking you say." Connor didn't stop walking. "I only see the potential of getting exposed. If anyone recognizes us we could get in trouble with mom."

Richard didn't say anything to that. He knew in part Connor was right. If someone recognized them as the children of their mother they could get in trouble. But the reason the younger Stern did not care as much was because silencing people was one of his many hobbies. As was making them disappear and helping them forget things they were not supposed to have seen.

By the time they finally got to the alley where they had parked their cars, Richard could feel the tension flowing from his brother in thick waves.

Richard never really understood why Connor was always so anxious when it came to their mother. She was strict, yes. Hell, even her name implied as much. But he never truly saw her doing anything that would explain Connor's anxiety.

"Brother," Richard called just before the other got into his car. "It's going to be fine. Markus said as much. You really need to relax."

Connor pursed his lips but still nodded in agreement. He chose to not say anything. Simply entering the car and turning the engine on. And since Richard already had the address, Connor figured he could just follow his brother to their destination.

Markus would be waiting for them there. Most probably already conversing with the client.

With a little bit of luck, they could be in and out of the place before anyone even noticed their presence.

*** * ***

"So he kidnapped your daughter?" Markus looked the woman in the eyes. She said her name was Kara. Her partner was called Luther. Both seemed to be holding on alright despite the story they had just told him. If it wasn't for the bloody bandages around Luther's shoulder - where he had been shot while trying to get Kara to safety - Markus wouldn't have believed them. "Did he ask for ransom?"

Kara nodded slowly. "He wants me."

Markus nodded in acknowledgment. He could see why Zlatko would want her.

Zlatko Andronikov was known among criminals for his dirty schemes. Apparently, the man ran a ring of prostitution and human trafficking and had also been involved in several drug-related businesses. Markus remembered having listened in on one of his half-brother's conversations - Leo was an addict, so it came as no surprise he would be in on whatever was happening to it - it seemed the police had been trying to build a concrete case to put Zlatko behind bars but kept failing miserably.

Kara was a young woman but she seemed to already have seen a lot. Her appearance was good enough to be able to make Zlatko a lot of money if he managed to get his hands on her- be it as a prostitute in town or if he managed to sell her off she would definitely be worth a lot. She looked brave enough to be someone that would trade in her own freedom if that meant keeping her child safe. Which meant she wouldn't cause any major problems as long as the man had his bargaining ship: Alice.

"How did you guys get involved with that man? He's dangerous. Everyone knows that." Markus looked the couple over one more time before his eyes settled back on Kara. "You two seem like a normal enough couple. No visible signs of drug abuse. I'm having a hard time guessing how you came in contact with Mr. Zlatko."

Luther lowered his head a bit and Kara rubbed the back of his hand in a comforting manner. The act seemed to encourage the big man to speak. "I used to work as his bodyguard."

"Luther got me out of an abusive relationship. Alice's dad was going to kill us if we didn't leave. Luther helped us." Kara informed in a rushed tone. "I have some distant family members in Canada and they're willing to help us start over there, but we needed money and documents to enter the country."

Luther cleared his throat and looked up to face Markus. "I had been working for Zlatko for a while and he said he would help us. He took our passports; our documents. We're stuck. He wants to keep me here working for him. He wants to keep her-" Luther glanced at Kara with something painful gleaming in his eyes. Sometimes Markus hated that he was so observant. "He took Alice because he knows how much she means to us."

Markus leaned back on his chair with a deep breath. "Why not the police? Why did you choose to ask _us_ for help?"

"Zlatko has the entire force wrapped around his finger. Believe me, I worked for him. I know." This time Luther's expression morphed into something close to disgust. "If we go to the cops for help the FBI will get involved and that monster is going to kill Alice."

"Time is very important to us, Mr. Manfred." Kara reached over the table and passed a picture of her with a girl smiling. "That's Alice. That's my daughter. And she's going to be dead in two days if you can't help us. Zlatko said he'll let her go if I go and work for him, but we all know that's not what's going to happen."

Markus looked at the picture without picking it up at first. He simply stared at it. Alice had a very beautiful smile and Markus found himself wondering how scared she probably was; away from her mom and trapped in the company of someone as delightful as Zlatko was known to be. Something very funny seemed to be blooming in the depths of his mind as he stared deeply into that child's eyes in the picture. He didn't have a name for that specific feeling yet, but he knew it was not a healthy thing to be feeling on his and his cousins' line of business.

"I'll send you a text with an address in the next thirty-six hours," Markus informed the couple. His eyes were still glued to the picture on the table. "Go there."

"So you'll help us?" Kara's voice sounded expectant. "You'll save my daughter?"

Markus took the picture and placed it on the inner chest pocket of his suit. "Thirty-six hours. Don't try to contact me, don't try to contact him, don't do anything. Just wait for my text."

"Thank you," Kara said with a relieved sigh.

Markus nodded softly and gestured with his head for them to leave. "Just make sure to follow the instructions."

She nodded and got to her feet. Luther did the same. But as Kara started making her way to the exit Luther still stood by the booth.

"This is all the information I have to help you bring her back," he said handing a thick envelope over to Markus. "I drew a map of the mansion and wrote down the usual time schedule of all the guards."

Markus took the envelope with another small nod.

"Thank you for your help," Luther said and followed the woman out.

*** * ***

"Hey, old man," Gavin tapped two fingers on the bar counter as he called after Hank. The older man didn't really look up from the glasses he was organizing, but still hummed in acknowledgment. " Help a man out. I need a drink."

Hank let out a soft snort still not bothering to look up at the younger man. "You already had two."

"Your point?"

"Your brother doesn't want you drinking when you have to take your medication, Reed." Hank glanced up and made sure to look the man directly in the eyes. His bored expression was unnerving and amusing at the same time. "I don't want you drinking when you're on your medication either. You know where that'll get you, kid."

Gavin huffed in annoyance and raised one finger in the air, "First of all, stop calling me Reed. It sounds like you're giving me a lecture, you old man. And second, _fine_!" He rolled his eyes in annoyance and turned around while leaning his back against the bar. "But I might end up killing myself if I have to make any more '_another person I killed_'' tattoo though. Bunch of assholes have zero creativity, I'm telling you..."

"Stop being a whiny bitch, kid," Hank said with a smirk. "Huh, it looks like we have newcomers tonight."

The comment made Gavin look in the direction of the entrance of the bar. And without a doubt those were newcomers.

Gavin took a moment taking their appearance in. They were clearly twins despite the height difference - which was barely noticeable. It was funny how both had that typical fuckboy aura rich kids usually emitted. Well, _that_ and the fact their suits looked like they had been hand made. Gavin didn't really like expensive stuff even if he and his brother could afford it now. The most self-indulgent expenses he had were with his bike and even then he didn't really do it often. Elijah and Chloe enjoyed spending money a lot more than he did.

In fact, his older brother was constantly bugging him about how he should get a new leather jacket, or new jeans, or a new cellphone, or a nicer apartment, etc, etc. And usually, that type of conversation ended up with Gavin just walking away from his sibling to avoid telling him to fuck off.

Gavin scratched the bridge of his nose before turning around to Hank again. "Do you have the printed rules somewhere in there?"

Hank reached under the counter and grabbed two copies of Elijah's printed rules and handed them over to Gavin. His usual bored facade was back in place and so was Gavin's usually pissed off expression. And even though they were both in relatively good spirits that night having a hard face on was just one of the things they had in common. And yes, that was also one of the things Elijah and Chloe always pointed out about the two. If they were related by blood they wouldn't be so much alike.

Connor was surprised. Really he was.

First, the place he had imagined to be a shithole turned out to be a cozy and quite a modern bar, and then he set his very attentive eyes in what could only be described as the most tempting piece of ass he had ever got the pleasure to see.

"That is ridiculous," he commented in a low enough voice, only Richard would be able to hear. "Are you seeing that?"

"You mean the guy at the bar with a bubble butt that just looked our way? Yes, I am." Richard smirked and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "We should probably find Markus before making acquaintances though."

Connor knew his brother had a point. But it was easier said than done. Especially when said guy was suddenly coming their way.

"You both here with Manfred, aren't you?" Gavin questioned with a straight face. "These are the house rules. Don't even think about breaking them, _Lijah_ will flip his shit and ya'll be fish food before you can even say Gucci. Follow me."

Connor and Richard had absolutely no idea of who the person called Lijah was, but Gavin had guessed it right and they were there to meet with their cousin Markus Manfred. Besides, following him was no sacrifice with the perfect view they got.

In all honesty, Richard was better at hiding his thoughts than his brother was. Connor always had a problem with being too honest for his own good and at that moment he was just shamelessly ogling at the stranger's butt. And he would make fun of him because of that after the night was over, but right now they had a negotiation to go through and he needed his brother to be focused.

"There you go," Gavin gestured to a booth in the very far corner of the bar in what looked like a VIP area. Richard and Connor could immediately recognize their cousin's profile and hummed in appreciation for being guided there. "Don't stir up any trouble, fuckfaces."

Gavin walked away and left both twins staring after him with undecipherable faces. Everything about that place had been surprising so far.

"Do you plan on standing there the whole night?" Markus asked with a raised brow after staring at the dumbstruck duo for a while. "Sit down. We have a lot to talk about."


	2. Chloe & Elijah & Hank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only a few things can be scarier than angry Elijah.  
Angry Chloe, for example.  
Or even worse, angry Elijah, even angrier Chloe with extremely furious Hank close by.  
All of them carrying guns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clearly I can't be trusted with keeping a decent update schedule.  
Sue me (Pls don't, I'm broke).
> 
> Also, in case I forgot to mention in the tags, everyone is a few years younger in this story. Just for the sake of Gavin being very reckless to be a 30yr old man.

“Zlatko _has_ been acting recklessly for some time now,” Richard sounded unamused. “Perhaps it’s time for him to _go_.”

Connor just hummed in agreement with his brother, and it was more than enough for Markus to come to the conclusion they were indeed willing to take the job.

“I’m glad you think that,” he said in that soft way he only used when talking about things he felt very strongly about - maybe he had let the story Kara told him get to him too much, but it didn’t make a difference. He was willing to see the job through. With, or without his cousins. “I already said yes.”

The twins shared a knowing look before smirking at the man sitting across from them.

“All the missed calls and dozens of texts from earlier gave your intentions away, Markus.” Connor had a smile on his face; the type Markus could tell it was genuine, not like the smiles he sported when at high society gatherings - to which they were all often forced to attend because of their families.

“_That_,” Richard took a sip of his dry martini. “And the determined look on your face as you filled us in on the details.”

Markus was silent for a moment. He stared down at his glass of wine, swirling the rich red liquid as he delved into his own mind. Thoughts of the abuse he suffered as a child before Karl took him in were spinning in his brain like a broken film. He could still remember the physical pain of it all; he still carried some scars.

_No child should ever have to go through that_, he thought and grit his teeth.

"Stop overthinking this, Markus." Richard had a ghost of a smile on his face when his cousin turned his wandering eyes to him. "I can hear the sound of the wheels turning inside your head from here."

"Well get the girl reunited with her mom, don't worry." Connor offered him a reassuring nod as he too sipped on his drink.

“Am I really that easy to read?” Markus questioned after the beat of silence. Both the Stern siblings nodded in response. But they were interrupted before getting a chance to speak when a blonde woman stopped by their table with a bright smile on her face.

"Hello, Markus" she greeted in a kind tone. "You're on your third glass of wine, so I'll have to ask you to eat something and drink some water or I'm taking your car keys."

Markus smiled back at her. The somber look he had just instants before melted into one of familiarity and ease so fast that it stirred both of his cousins' curiosity and they looked up.

Richard was unimpressed - as he usually was. But Connor let out a surprised breath as he recognized her face from several formal dinner parties his mother had dragged him to.

"C-Chloe?" He would have punched himself for the waver on his voice if he wasn't so curious about why and how she ended up in such a place. Of course, his brain was burning with horror at the possibility of someone - someone who knew who he was - seeing him in a place like that. After all, if Amanda even dreamed about them being in the company of half of the people in that bar, he would be dead. But every single memory he had of Chloe was of her in beautiful, fancy dresses. Perfect makeup, perfect hair. And also that guy his mom liked so much in tow. If his memory was correct - which it usually was - his name was _Kamski_. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh! Hi, Connor! And you're Richard, right?" The girl greeted excitedly. "I'm glad Markus finally brought you guys here! How have you been?"

Richard could sense his older brother's tension almost prickling his skin. The connection they had as twins was annoying like that, but he did find endearing how easily Connor could get stressed out.

Subtly patting his brother on the knee, Richard smiled and nodded in greeting at the girl. "It's been a while, Chloe. You look as stunning as ever."

Her smile seemed to only grow bigger and brighter at his comment; if that was even possible. And Richard would be lying if he said that didn't tick him off a little bit. He was always wary of people who smiled too much or were overly excited, or suspiciously kind. And that woman happened to be all of those things.

"Elijah will love to know you guys came by," she commented as she handed menus to the three of them. She made sure to make eye contact with each one as they grabbed the leather booklet.

"Kamski is here too?" Connor questioned with furrowed brows, making Richard struggle to fight the want to slap the anxiousness out of him.

Chloe merely nodded in response to the question then looked at Markus. "You didn't tell them?"

The man shrugged.

"Elijah and his brother run the place. I help around when I'm bored." Chloe's attention was back on Connor. "I would call him out here to greet you, but I'm afraid tonight the chances of you seeing him are very slim. A guy broke the rules earlier. They've been locked in that office for a very long time now...but I guess the _lesson_ is still going."

Neither one of the twins missed the change in atmosphere when she mentioned a lesson. Whatever that meant it was probably nasty if even someone as collected as their cousin winced at it.

"I'm guessing that's why the cute looking guy advised against breaking the house rules?" Richard said with the tiniest of smiles.

"Kamski has a brother? That's the first time I hear about it." Connor tried to not let his curiosity get the best out of him, but old habits were hard to control.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he does," Chloe looked around and over her shoulder until her eyes landed on the same man Richard had called cute. "That's Gavin, right there. Elijah's younger brother."

When she looked back at the three men she had the ultimate fond smile plastered on her face. "He's the most talented tattoo artist in town. And also very skilled in coding and hacking. In fact, Elijah keeps saying he's even better than himself."

"Is he now?" Richard's voice was low and deep and Markus noticed how both twins' eyes were glued to the other man's form leaning against the bar while casually chatting with Hank.

"Kamski holds his brother very dear," he reasoned with a hint of a warning on his voice. "Which is why very few people know he even exists. With skills like his, Gavin could be of interest to a lot of dangerous people."

Chloe nodded in confirmation.

"They don't even carry the same surname to make sure Gavin's identity is kept secret. Elijah actually went to great extents to ensure Gav's freedom and safety." She glanced over her shoulder again. "But that stubborn guy really is a genius... Many of the things that made Elijah a fortune were crafted by him. It's funny that he hates when he gets praised by it. In fact, many times he allows Elijah to make inputs and leaves behind some obvious mistakes for him to fix, just so he can say he didn't do it all by himself when Elijah tries to force some of the credit on him."

"He sounds like an interesting guy," Connor commented as his eyes trailed over Gavin's form. "It would be nice to meet him sometime."

"I couldn't agree more," Richard was doing the same as his brother, in his own way at least. There was just something about the roughed up appearance the man had that was strangely appealing. The scars on his face stirred up his curiosity. Maybe it was the fact they had been raised by a scientist that always encouraged them to be curious and learn new things; to uncover the truth behind every single thing that caught their attention.

Their pleasing conversation came to an abrupt end though. The loud bang of a heavy metal door rang through the entire salon and caught the attention of most of the people lounging in there. A tall skinny man stumbled out in what looked to be a drug-infused frenzy. His red-trimmed, crazy eyes gave away that he was not on his right mind.

It was pretty funny how fast things could go to hell, Gavin thought just a few seconds later. When the guy came barreling toward the side of the bar that he was leaning on against.

The tattoo artist had just managed to convince Hank to let him have one last beer before he retired to his room for the night, and had barely taken a sip out of it when the long bony finger wrapped around the bottle and yanked it out of his grasp. But of course, his misery couldn't end there. With a snarl, the guy banged the bottle against the counter, successfully breaking it and picked up a shard before grabbing a hold of Gavin.

From there on, things just escalated.

"Your employer just got you out of trouble and you're already making a huge mistake again, Carlos" Elijah's voice was colder than ice. Sharp as a blade too. He sounded right about ready to snap and when the guy turned to face him - forcing Gavin to turn with him since he had a sharp glass shard pressed against his throat and was keeping him still with a vicious grip on him - Gavin saw that his brother looked right about ready to murder too.

"You asshole! You think I'm gonna let you just embarass me like that?" The guy's voice wavered, and Gavin recognized it as fear, even though there was also anger there and probably some hurt pride. "That's not how things work!"

Hank had put the cup and towel he had in his hands down and reached under the counter without really looking away from the scene. It was easy to get a hold of the shotgun they kept under there for situations like this.

"Let. Him. Go." Elijah repeated, voice sounding even more strained than before.

"Please, let him go." Chloe was now standing right beside Elijah, but instead of a threatening approach, she decided to try a pacifying tone. It didn't work so well.

"Who is this bitch?" The crazed man questioned in what could only be described as a degrading tone.

And that was the last fucking straw to Gavin.

Because after all, he didn't really mind being made hostage. But when people insulted anyone he cared about or tried to hurt them, things changed.

He was a lot shorter than the guy, but he was also a lot stronger. So when he moved his head and hit the guy in the nose to make him loose his hold on him, he knew he would be free and in his mind he could just unarm and subdue him with a few more moves - maybe adding a few punches in to get payback for the insult to Elijah and Chloe. But as far as Gavin's luck went things did not go exactly as he planned. And even though the guy did let him go, he still managed to slice the side of his neck with the shard.

"Shit," Gavin quickly reached for his neck and felt the cut carefully. He was bleeding, yes. But he could tell it wasn't a deep enough cut to kill-

The sound of guns being drawn and their safety being turned off made his eyes shoot up from his bloodied fingers to the people he called family.

"Lijah, Chloe-" Gavin tried to reason, but both already had their guns pointed at the guy with deadly looks in their eyes. "Hank, do something- Hank? Not you too! Guys, it's just a scratch-"

His plea fell on deaf ears when the sound of bullets piercing flesh and angry snarls rang around the salon before his attacker fell to the ground; body heavy with the number of bullets they filled him with.

Gavin stared down into the guy's eyes as he squirmed for a moment. Gurgling and choking on his own blood as the life left his body.

And Gavin remembered why sometimes he just wanted to fucking disappear forever. He hated this part of his brother's business; hated the extreme violence so much.

He hated the sound of guns being shot and hated how the loud noise made him shiver and recall what he was put through as a child. And he really, really hated seeing the blood pooling under a body after they had just been shot down like that.

Gavin got dragged so deep into his mind by the cooling body in front of him; so trapped in the horrible memories of his childhood that it took him a moment to realize someone was calling his name. And then another moment to recognize the familiar voice.

"Gavin," a warm hand made contact with his cheek and lifted his face a little. Elijah's silver-green eyes were stormy with concern, and it ticked the tattoo artist off. "You're bleeding; We need to take care of this-"

Gavin scoffed and slapped his brother's hand away with a frown. "It's a scratch, Elijah. I think I survived worse."

That last statement hit the other hard, and Chloe frowned at the hurt look that crossed her fiance's face before glaring in Gavin's direction.

"Gavin!" She had that motherly tone that usually made Gavin lower his gaze in submission. But it didn't work this time. And the empty look he had in his eyes when he glanced in her general direction gave away that Gavin wasn't really among them even if his body was right there. Her annoyance morphed into worry again. "Gavin?"

There was a beat of silence. Every single person in the bar was looking at them with either amused or worried faces. Some enjoyed the show of an overkill such as that, others had been around long enough to actually care about Gavin's well being. A few of then even had their weapons still drawn in case one of the troublemaker's friends decided to try anything funny.

When the silence stretched longer than what anyone would consider comfortable Hank tried snapping Gavin out of it;

"Hey kid," he pressed a hand on the man's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. It worked.

Gavin blinked a few times before his eyes darted around, staring at everyone's faces for a brief second until they landed on his brother's right in front of him. He didn't miss the way he looked extremely concerned as he stared back at him.

"Gavin," he started in a cautious manner, almost like he was trying to talk a rabid dog into not biting him. He usually did that when he was about to say something that could potentially piss Gavin off. "Did you take your medicine tonight?"

The question came out as a whisper, which only made his brother sound more like he was babying him again. And Gavin realized he hated that very much as well.

He did hate a lot of things though. So no surprise there.

"I'm not a child anymore, _Lijah_. Fuck...I need a smoke. And a proper fuck." Gavin let out an almost defeated sigh. He shoved a hand into his pocket and fished for his keys, cigarettes and lighter. "I'm going cruising. Don't call me. Don't try to find me. Just leave me the fuck alone."

Chloe pursed her lips and held onto Elijah's sleeve with the hand that was not holding her colt. Elijah tried to keep a neutral expression despite all the worry and hurt. Hank frowned as he contemplated on knocking the guy unconscious and tying his ass down, but decided against it. After all, he had known Gavin for several years. He knew damn well the guy was just as hurt as he was making them all feel about overreacting.

Gavin had a cigarette between his lips before he even started moving towards the exit, "Be back when I'm back."

Not thirty seconds later they all heard the sound of a powerful engine purring to life and then screeching tires.

"I swear Gavin is going to be the death of me," Hank complained to himself as he reloaded his shotgun and placed it back into it's hiding place behind the bar counter.

"I hear you, Hank" Elijah was still staring in the exit's direction with worried eyes and Chloe was still holding onto him. "I few like I grow three years older whenever we argue like this..."

"You call that an argument?" Markus said stepping closer to the couple. He nodded in Hank's direction as a greeting. "It looked more like you hovering. He does have a right to be upset, my friend."

Elijah's eyes lit up with fond recognition. "Manfred, it's so good to see you." Then he deflated a little bit. "I'm sorry you had to witness that. Gavin's temper is not one of the best."

"I guess that runs in the family," Hank mused, mostly to himself. But it still made Elijah, Chloe and Markus giggle.

"Yeah, I guess it does." Elijah spotted the twin Sterns approaching behind Markus and tilted his head a bit. "Connor, Richard. What a pleasant surprise. I didn't think you guys came to places like this."

"Well, for starters, we never got an invitation" Connor sounded a lot more relaxed now that he saw Elijah _and_ Chloe were just as involved in illegal hobbies as he and his siblings were. _Mika will love this place_.

Richard was too busy studying the work done to the dead man of the floor to engage in the conversation, but he was still paying close attention to the exchange.

"I didn't feel it was necessary," Elijah sounded extremely laid back and casual. Richard took notice of his bare feet but decided not to comment on it. "I figured you would find your way here eventually, with your extra activities and such. Though it is true, this wasn't the best first impression."

To that Richard made a noise in disagreement before turning his attention to the man. "On the contrary, it was _the_ best impression we ever got from a bar."

"On that note," Markus spoke up. "If you'd like some help tracking down Gavin we could help."

That caught Chloe's attention. "We can track Gavin's phone, Markus. While we appreciate the offer, that won't be necessary."

"Yes," Elijah added sounding more and more tired. "It's not the first time he goes _cruising_ after an argument."

"You keep calling that an argument," Connor mumbled with a raised brown. "That looked like a very civil conversation to me. Though he did seem upset. Last time we argued," he gestured to Richard with a funny expression. "He threw me off a window on the second floor at home."

Markus shot Richard a wary look before glancing at Connor. "Is that the reason behind that sling before?"

Connor nodded.

"But that's beside the point," he reached out to Elijah with a phone in his hand. He had seen when Gavin left it on one of the bar stools before leaving. "If this is the only way you have of keeping track of your brother, I'm afraid you won't be able to find him anytime soon."

Chloe was the one to take the phone. "It's Gavin's," she informed Elijah with a pained look.

"Jesus, Gav," Elijah let out a heavy breath and rubbed his temple. "I can't believe this."

Connor hugged his coat suit around himself as he looked into Elijah's eyes. "The offer still stands."

And Elijah glanced at Markus.

"They _are_ the best at finding people."

It was reassurance enough if Markus trusted them. So he glanced at Chloe and she nodded, then he glanced at Hank and the man did the same. They were a family after all, so it was very important for Elijah that they all agreed on all matters related to Gavin.

"Alright," Elijah said. "Name your price."

Connor and Richard glanced at each other and exchanged a small smirk.

"Consider it a favor," Richard spoke with mischievousness dripping from his voice.

Of course, Elijah didn't like what owning the Sterns a favor implied, but Gavin was his and Chloe and Hank's soft spot - for better or worse.

He did hesitate for a second, but in the end, he reached a hand out to them, "Deal."


End file.
